Sipping a mug of piping hot tea on a cold day doesn't just warm you up—it may also protect your vision. That's the good news from a new UCLA study, which found a daily cup of hot tea may reduce your risk by up to 74 percent of developing glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide.
Caffeine has been linked to an increase in the production of aqueous humor, a type of eye fluid. When eye fluid volume rises, so does the pressure inside the eyes. This is why some experts recommend that glaucoma patients or those at risk of developing this condition should stop consuming caffeinated beverages.
Drinking a quart of water in less than five minutes has been shown to increase intraocular pressure; instead, advise your patients to drink small amounts of water often to stay hydrated.
High trans fats have been proven to cause damage to the optic nerve. Time to cut out fried foods, baked goods and any product with an ingredient list that includes hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Saturated foods that include red meat, beef, lard, shortening and oils can also worsen glaucoma.
Fluid drainage failure causes the high pressure. Your eyes constantly make a clear fluid called aqueous humor that flows in front of your eye and then drains out. Normally, an equal amount goes in and out. If the fluid doesn't leave your eye when it should, your IOP increases.
Reductions in IOP were found to increase with the duration of walking, jogging and running.
“Pressure is highest typically in the morning, when you're just waking up, and lowest in the afternoon,” says Johnson. “So if you have a 4:00 pm. appointment at the doctor's office, that particular pressure may be the lowest pressure you'll have that day.”
Bananas, avocados, pumpkin seeds, and black beans are great sources to help you meet the recommended daily allowance of 300-400 magnesium. Though more research is needed, preliminary studies suggest that dietary magnesium may benefit people with glaucoma by improving blood flow to the eye.
Maintaining a healthy weight, controlling your blood pressure, being physically active, and avoiding smoking will help you avoid vision loss from glaucoma. These healthy behaviors will also help prevent type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions.
Particularly, Mg has been shown to improve the ocular blood flow in patients with glaucoma and may protect the retinal ganglion cell against oxidative stress and apoptosis [2, 3, 19].
Changes of mean IOP according to age. For the cross-sectional study, we used seven age groups classified by decades. Average IOP increased from 12.7 mm Hg in subjects in their 20s to 14.0 mm Hg in those in their 40s. Then IOP decreased from 13.9 mm Hg in those in their 60s to 13.1 mm Hg in those in their 70s.
As previously mentioned, vitamin A and vitamin C are beneficial to our eyes, but vitamin E has also been shown to boost vision. Vitamin E can be found in wheat and cereal, seafood, avocados, nuts, egg yolks, and more. Zinc, Lutein and Zeaxanthin are also great for your eyes and can reduce your risk of glaucoma.
Using your thumbs, gently press on the area right above the inner corner of the eyes where the crease of your lid begins. Press slowly and release. Repeat this exercise 5 times. By doing this, you're helping to relieve pressure in between your eyes.
The cause of elevated eye pressure, known as ocular hypertension, is an imbalance in production and drainage of aqueous humor, the fluid inside your eye. Pressure builds as the eye creates new fluid and the channels which normally drain the aqueous humor become obstructed or damaged.
Ocular hypertension usually doesn't cause any symptoms. You probably won't know you have high eye pressure until an eye care specialist diagnosis it during your eye exam. Without having your eye pressure tested by an eye care specialist, there's usually no way for you to feel or know that you have high eye pressure.
Caffeine and Eye Pressur
Caffeine can increase eye pressure, which is problematic for patients with glaucoma because it's the primary factor that causes the disease to develop. Glaucoma develops when fluid builds up in the front part of the eye and increases pressure on the optic nerve.
Your eyes undergo changes such as increased intraocular pressure (IOP) when you're stressed or anxious, whether for a short time or on a regular basis.
Normal eye pressure ranges from 12-21 mm Hg, and eye pressure of greater than 21 mm Hg is considered higher than normal. When the IOP is higher than normal but the person does not show signs of glaucoma, this is referred to as ocular hypertension.
Many people assume that 'using your eyes' can worsen your glaucoma. Reading, watching TV or using your phone or computer does not have any impact on your glaucoma.